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“Sue made a huge play defensively with the steal and the layup,” said Storm coach Brian Agler, pleased to see a number of big plays by his team late in the game. “People that have watched us play over the years, that's what they're used to seeing down the stretch.”

Camille Little added 15 points and Bird 10 for last-place Seattle (10-20), which moved within 31/2 games of the Stars for the fourth and final playoff berth in the Western Conference with just four games left.

“It was just a couple of consecutive plays that I was able to be a part of and able to make,” Bird said about the fourth-quarter rally. “The first time was a look for myself. The second time they came to me so I found Crystal. And defensively we were able to do just enough to get a win.”

Langhorne, in her first year with the Storm, downplayed her role.

“Actually, I still think I missed a lot of chippies,” said Langhorne, who also had 10 rebounds. “But I tried to be aggressive, going with the roll and trying to get to the high post and attack and not set up for jumpers, but getting into the paint and finish looks.”

Rookie Kayla McBride scored 17 and former Texas A&M star Danielle Adams had 14 — all in the second half — to lead Stars (13-16), who fell a half game behind Los Angeles for third place. The Stars have lost seven of nine but still are three up on Tulsa for the final playoff spot.

“We got back into it but we didn't finish some defensive plays,” Stars coach Dan Hughes said. “Part of it was you have to expend so much energy coming back from 18 (points down).”